Man found Guilty of Teen's Murder in 1980 in Tahoe

Swanson, 16, was found beaten, wrapped in duct tape and left to suffocate to death at the South Y gas station in South Lake Tahoe where he was employed. $761.02 in cash was gone from the register.

C. Johnson, News10/KXTV | 2014-04-24

SACRAMENTO - A Placerville jury has convicted a Carmichael man of murdering a gas station attendant 34 years ago.

Jurors also found Andrew Sanford, 52, guilty of special circumstances in the Aug. 15, 1980 death of Richard Swanson. According to court testimony, Swanson, 16, was found beaten, wrapped in duct tape and left to suffocate to death at the South Y gas station in South Lake Tahoe where he was employed.

El Dorado County District Attorney' s Office investigator and spokesperson Dave Stevenson said Sanford had a friend who worked at the station. Sanford would hang out there, becoming familiar with who worked there and where money was kept.

After police found Swanson dead in a back room of the station, they also learned $761.02 in cash was gone from the cash register, according to Stevenson.

Jurors were told Sanford moved from South Lake Tahoe that same day.

DNA evidence recovered from the scene linked Sanford to the murder in 2012.